Valley City man charged with luring minor through texting

VALLEY CITY, N.D. - A Valley City man was arrested Thursday after an investigation involving text messages of a sexual nature sent to a juvenile.

Chris Joseph Kinney, 46, was charged Thursday in Valley City with luring a minor by computer or electronic device, a Class C felony, and corruption or solicitation of a minor, a Class A misdemeanor.

On Wednesday, a juvenile told a social worker that he or she had received text messages of a sexual nature, and the social worker told the Valley City Police Department, which started an investigation.

According to the police, a review of the texts showed the suspect was trying to engage the juvenile in sexual acts, requesting a meeting. Valley City police and North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation continued the text conversation and arranged a meeting, arresting the suspect when he showed up.